Published: Thursday, December 20, 2012 at 6:23 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, December 20, 2012 at 6:26 p.m.

Some Etowah County officials on Tuesday announced the formation of a task force to look at school and courthouse safety issues in the wake of last week’s shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. However, Rep. Craig Ford, D-Gadsden, plans to name a committee to look at the issue of school safety, but won’t limit it to elected officials.

“I was already going to go ahead and form a separate committee prior to going to that meeting yesterday,” Ford said Wednesday.

Ford said putting an resource officer at each school would be “a start,” but other security measures also are needed that will require additional revenue.

He said he has talked to Etowah County Superintendent of Education Alan Cosby and Gadsden City Superintendent of Education Ed Miller, and will talk with Attalla Superintendent of Education David Bowman about the number of officers needed “to have a police officer at every school in Etowah County.”

The six Etowah County high schools have SROs, funded in part by the board of education and the Etowah County Sheriff’s Office. Cosby has said officers at the high schools also check on nearby elementary schools. Rainbow City pays for resource officers at John Jones Elementary and Rainbow Middle School, according to Ford.

Twelve county schools don’t have full-time school resource officers. Altoona Mayor Rick Nash is seeking city council approval to fund a school resource officer for West End Elementary.

The Gadsden Police Department provides two SROs at Gadsden City High and one who works at the city’s three middle schools. They are funded by the city. Gadsden’s eight elementary schools do not have resource officers.

Etowah High and Etowah Middle have SROs, funded jointly by the Attalla Board of Education and the city of Attalla.

“It’s going to have to be a joint partnership,” Ford said. “It’s a city problem, a county problem, a deputy problem, it’s everybody’s problem.

“We’ll join with the other committee, we’ll work with the other committee,” he said. “This isn’t a political move, this is trying to do what’s best. I’m not trying to combat the other committee.”

A statement on the task force announced Tuesday indicated stakeholders involved in the safety and security of Etowah County children and residents will be invited to join.

Ford said he also is looking at several revenue measures, both local and statewide, to help fund any recommended changes. He has asked the Legislative Fiscal Office to come up with revenue projections.

“I don’t know if it’s a viable option,” Ford said, “I’ve got to look and see what it will bring in.”

He said additional revenue will have to come from somewhere. “You can’t do it with what we have, because then you’d be taking money from something else,” he said. “I’m looking at about three different options ... I’m just exploring to see what’s out there.”

Ford said his committee will be bipartisan and made up mainly of “non-elected officials,” adding, “I think we get too involved with appointing elected officials. We need to find the people that are actually in the school classrooms and appoint some D.A.R.E. officers.

“We may have to ask the cities to help out a little more,” he said. “I know the city of Gadsden puts police officers at Gadsden City High School, I don’t know if the board of education actually pays that or if the city of Gadsden lends a officer to the school. What you’re going to have to do is get participation from all entities — county, city, state, from the sheriff’s office, from the DA’s office and what have you. And we’re going to sit down at a table and we’re going to have to come together. But we need to get a dialogue and we don’t need just elected officials on a committee.”

Ford said he has not been asked to serve on the county committee, but would be glad to do so. He feels Commission President Jeff Overstreet will appoint a good committee to look at the issue.

“We don’t need to sit back and wait too long, but we don’t need a knee-jerk reaction,” he said. “We need to make sure that the kids are safe and safety’s first.”

<p>A second group soon may be looking at school safety issues.</p><p>Some Etowah County officials on Tuesday announced the formation of a task force to look at school and courthouse safety issues in the wake of last week's shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. However, Rep. Craig Ford, D-Gadsden, plans to name a committee to look at the issue of school safety, but won't limit it to elected officials.</p><p>“I was already going to go ahead and form a separate committee prior to going to that meeting yesterday,” Ford said Wednesday.</p><p>Ford said putting an resource officer at each school would be “a start,” but other security measures also are needed that will require additional revenue.</p><p>He said he has talked to Etowah County Superintendent of Education Alan Cosby and Gadsden City Superintendent of Education Ed Miller, and will talk with Attalla Superintendent of Education David Bowman about the number of officers needed “to have a police officer at every school in Etowah County.”</p><p>The six Etowah County high schools have SROs, funded in part by the board of education and the Etowah County Sheriff's Office. Cosby has said officers at the high schools also check on nearby elementary schools. Rainbow City pays for resource officers at John Jones Elementary and Rainbow Middle School, according to Ford.</p><p>Twelve county schools don't have full-time school resource officers. Altoona Mayor Rick Nash is seeking city council approval to fund a school resource officer for West End Elementary.</p><p>The Gadsden Police Department provides two SROs at Gadsden City High and one who works at the city's three middle schools. They are funded by the city. Gadsden's eight elementary schools do not have resource officers.</p><p>Etowah High and Etowah Middle have SROs, funded jointly by the Attalla Board of Education and the city of Attalla. </p><p>“It's going to have to be a joint partnership,” Ford said. “It's a city problem, a county problem, a deputy problem, it's everybody's problem.</p><p>“We'll join with the other committee, we'll work with the other committee,” he said. “This isn't a political move, this is trying to do what's best. I'm not trying to combat the other committee.”</p><p>A statement on the task force announced Tuesday indicated stakeholders involved in the safety and security of Etowah County children and residents will be invited to join.</p><p>Ford said he also is looking at several revenue measures, both local and statewide, to help fund any recommended changes. He has asked the Legislative Fiscal Office to come up with revenue projections.</p><p>“I don't know if it's a viable option,” Ford said, “I've got to look and see what it will bring in.”</p><p>He said additional revenue will have to come from somewhere. “You can't do it with what we have, because then you'd be taking money from something else,” he said. “I'm looking at about three different options ... I'm just exploring to see what's out there.”</p><p>Ford said his committee will be bipartisan and made up mainly of “non-elected officials,” adding, “I think we get too involved with appointing elected officials. We need to find the people that are actually in the school classrooms and appoint some D.A.R.E. officers. </p><p>“We may have to ask the cities to help out a little more,” he said. “I know the city of Gadsden puts police officers at Gadsden City High School, I don't know if the board of education actually pays that or if the city of Gadsden lends a officer to the school. What you're going to have to do is get participation from all entities — county, city, state, from the sheriff's office, from the DA's office and what have you. And we're going to sit down at a table and we're going to have to come together. But we need to get a dialogue and we don't need just elected officials on a committee.”</p><p>Ford said he has not been asked to serve on the county committee, but would be glad to do so. He feels Commission President Jeff Overstreet will appoint a good committee to look at the issue.</p><p>“We don't need to sit back and wait too long, but we don't need a knee-jerk reaction,” he said. “We need to make sure that the kids are safe and safety's first.”</p>
<p class="italic font120">Times Staff Writer Kendra Carter contributed to this story.</p>